Mooning
February 20, 2008 by cynthia
I’m cooking dinner and my mobile rings; it’s Dad. “Go outside right now and look east. You’ll see an almost perfect lunar eclipse. Bye.”
So I shut down the stove, head outside, and realize that I’ve lived in this house more than six years and still don’t know where east is. Patiently, I scan the skyline (which in my neighborhood is largely concealed by trees). No moon. Has it eclipsed already?
Backyard, nothing. Front yard, nothing. Side yard, nothing. Other side yard, nothing. Drat. I’m heading back into the house when I glimpse a reflection in the glassroom window: A bright golden light emerging from behind my neighbor’s pine tree.
Bingo.
I turned, and there it was. Biggest, brightest, most gorgeous eclipse around. I ran inside, grabbed the tripod, stuck the camera on it, shut off all the house lights (and silently cussed my neighbor’s blazingly open garage), and started shooting.
BTW, if you want to learn more about the lunar eclipse (there won’t be another one for a couple of years) check out Space.com.
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Nice pics… it was gorgeous here, too. 5F outside and very clear viewing.
Fred called me up to remind me it was happening. He said “good thing it’s a full moon”. I said, “Uhhh….Patrick…it HAS to be a full moon.” I took 10 minutes explaining eclipses to him. I guess chemistry graduates don’t have to learn basic astronomy. *sigh* Where did I go wrong??? I made him a CHEMISTRY geek instead of an honourable ASTRONOMY geek.
GcB
PS. Should I request a refund from UMinn??
Hi Cynthia,
Nice pics! That is saturn to the lower left of the moon, btw. Email me because I don’t have your personal email address. Talk to you soon.
Jason L.
Thanks. Gary, I can just imagine how gorgeous it was watching this in Minnesota. We were amazed here that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky–quite unusual for glassland.
Up on her mountain, where she’s got the full view of Mts. Hood, St. Helens, etc., my sister said the view of the eclipse was incredible. Of course, she designed the house to maximize the number of full moons that can be viewed while in the bathtub, so she’s a serious moonperson…
Stunning pics, Cynthia! A way to treasure a beautiful and ethereal event. The urban setting was perfect: a reminder that we as human being still are part of a very large universe.
Dayle Ann